Willabee Wellness
About

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Hi there! I’m Willow. I grew up close to nature and have been drawn to healing of the mind, body, and spirit since I was a child. I grew up vegetarian in a hippie-ish family and after learning some unfortunate truths about factory farming, I decided to go vegan at age 17. I ate some healthy foods, but I was undernourished and didn’t know how to properly build a plate to fuel. I struggled with low energy but didn’t make the connection that it could be linked to my diet. My freshman year of college I was anxious, still vegan, and pretty much immediately put on birth control with no education of the side effects and nutrient depletions that the pill can cause. And I knew nothing about my cycle and hormones. Early into my freshman year, I fainted while in a hot shower listening to music. I had also fainted back in high school on a hot summer day at a funeral. I didn’t think much about it.

In college my major switched from Sustainable Development to Public Health and then I finally landed on Healthy Living & Lifetime Fitness with a minor in Yoga Studies (that allowed me to get my 200-hour YTT). I pretty much chose the most holistic degree option that my school offered. I enjoyed my curriculum where I was taking classes within the subjects of anatomy & physiology, physical activity, wellness, nutrition, health communication, kinesiology, etc. While I was in school, I worked at a health food co-op as a barista and felt grounded and inspired around natural food, herbalists, and health-conscious people.  

At the same time I was still struggling with low energy and participating in the typical college lifestyle of drinking too much, vaping, pulling all nighters at the library with copious amounts of caffeine, exercising in the wrong ways, and using toxic products in my home and on my skin.

After getting my undergraduate degree, I was interested in furthering my education and going back to school. I completed a college program in nutrition, health coaching, and clinical herbalism.

Around this time, I had been on the birth control pill for 5 years. I was learning about hormone health and inspired to try coming off of the pill. At first coming off of the pill was fine. But then I started to get the worst period cramps that I’ve had in my life. So debilitating that I would just be shaking crying in bed. I couldn’t even get up to go to the bathroom. I would have to call out of work and miss social events. Over the counter pain medicine seemed to have no effect on the pain. And this was paired with extreme fatigue. I went to multiple OBGYNs, and they found uterine fibroids and diagnosed me with dysmenorrhea. None of them had any answers for my pain except to get back on the pill.

One day I woke up screaming and sobbing in pain. I had taken the max dose of pain medicine- plus some of what was safe to take, with no relief. My mom called the urgent care and explained what was going on and the nurse recommended that I go to the emergency room.

They gave me more ultrasounds and a limited pain prescription but still no answers.

So, for about 2 years I just dealt with it as best as I could. Terrified of my period coming and if I was going to have an okay one or a terrible one.

At this point I realized how understudied woman’s health is. And for a wide range of female hormonal issues, physicians see you for about 10 minutes and prescribe the birth control pill as a band aid fix and then send you on your way.

With no diving deeper. No questions about lifestyle, trauma, food, or YOU. I’m not against doctors at all or the medical system. I am very grateful for all of it, but I found this very frustrating and dismissive.

 

I was in my program at this time learning about the healing power of food, lifestyle choices, and herbs. I was living healthier than I had in college. Once I got to Clincials, we were working with clients and building protocols. And naturally I was inspired to build my own. I was slowly implementing a more nourishing lifestyle through herbs, food, and other healing modalities. I started to eat a more balanced diet, incorporated supplements and herbs specific to my needs, managed my stress levels, and became more aware of the everyday products I was using. I couldn't deny that I felt and looked better overtime. Stable energy, a calmer response to stress, healthy digestion, nails that didn't bend and break, nourished skin & hair. I learned about how supporting local farmer's and eating quality animal foods can be respectable, humane, helpful for the community and environment, and spiritual. And- overtime I had less frequent painful periods. Some months were better than others. Healing is hardly ever linear.

But today, I haven’t had a painful period in over 7 months. I feel the most at peace and vibrant that I've ever felt. I realize that my idea of health and how to achieve it was skewed (as it is for a lot of people!). But that's okay because it is all a part of the journey. I now have the tools to self-heal and feel good. Things like nourishing food, proper supplements, herbal medicine, mediation, walking barefoot on the earth, good sleep, play, enjoyable movement, community, deep breathing, stretching, wisdom from elders, and being silly are our true healers.

Now I see clients 1:1 holistically to get a picture of their whole health and support them in making plans that help them feel good in their bodies. I’d love to work with you if you also want to find harmony living life the way nature intended.

- Willow